Robotic tentacle targets keyhole surgery

Italian engineers have built a robotic arm, aimed at improving surgical operations and inspired by the octopus.

Just like its aquatic inspiration, the robotic tentacle has no rigid skeleton; it can bend, stretch and switch between flexible and rigid states as required.

Its movement is driven by inflatable compartments and its stiffness by a central tube containing a specially selected granular medium: coffee.

When suction is applied, the granules "jam" to create the desired rigidity.

The design is described in the journal Bioinspiration and Biomimetics.

Ultimately, the researchers hope to develop the device so that it can be used in "minimally invasive surgery" - operations performed via a body cavity or a keyhole-type incision.

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College Student to Jeb Bush ‘Your Brother Created ISIS’

“Your brother created ISIS,” the young woman told Jeb Bush. And with that, Ivy Ziedrich, a 19-year-old college student, created the kind of confrontational moment here on Wednesday morning that presidential candidates dread.

Mr. Bush, the former governor of Florida, had just concluded a town-hall-style meeting when Ms. Ziedrich demanded to be heard. “Governor Bush,” she shouted as audience members asked him for his autograph. “Would you take a student question?”

Mr. Bush whirled around and looked at Ms. Ziedrich, who identified herself as a political science major and a college Democrat at the University of Nevada.

She had heard Mr. Bush argue, a few moments before, that America’s retreat from the Middle East under President Obama had contributed to the growing power of the Islamic State. She told the former governor that he was wrong, and made the case that blame lay with the decision by the administration of his brother George W. Bush to disband the Iraqi Army.

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Embryo engineering a moral duty, says top scientist

It would be unethical and a "sin of omission" to prevent the genetic engineering of embryos, a leading scientist has argued.

Cloning pioneer Dr Tony Perry told the BBC that advances in genetics posed a "wonderful opportunity" for eliminating diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Last month, a group in China announced it was the first to successfully edit the genome of a human embryo.

Other scientists say it is unnecessary and a line that should not be crossed.

The breakthrough at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong, China, showed the errors in the DNA that led to a blood disorder, beta thalassaemia, could be successfully corrected in non-viable embryos.

It worked in seven out of 86 attempts and marked the latest development in one of the most exciting fields in science - Crispr.

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North Korea Defence Chief Hyon Yong-chol 'executed'

North Korea's Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol has been executed for showing disloyalty to Kim Jong-il, South Korea's spy agency has told parliament.

MPs were told Mr Hyon was killed on 30 April by anti-aircraft fire in front of an audience of hundreds, the Yonhap news agency reports.

It said Mr Hyon had fallen asleep during an event attended by Kim Jong-un and had not carried out instructions.

Reports from North Korea are impossible to independently confirm.

Analysts told the BBC that while reshuffling of officials happens often in North Korea, the execution of a figure so close to Mr Kim was surprising and cause for concern about the country's stability.

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Tom Brady 'Deflategate' player banned for four matches

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been suspended for four games by the National Football League after an inquiry into under-inflated balls.

Brady, 37, will not receive any pay during his ban, while the team have been fined $1m (£642,000) for a scandal that has become known as 'Deflategate'.

The NFL said on Monday the club were sanctioned after "failure to cooperate in the subsequent investigation".

Last week, Brady said the findings did not taint his side's Super Bowl win.

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South Wales 'Ride me' bus advert sparks online backlash

A south Wales bus company says it will withdraw an advertising campaign following an online backlash.

The New Adventure Travel advert depicts a semi-naked woman on the back of buses holding a billboard which reads: "Ride me all day for £3".

The company said it had been trying to "make catching the bus attractive to the younger generation."
It has attracted an angry response on social media - including criticism by MPs.

On Facebook, one person wrote: "Absolutely dreadful advert, what is wrong with you?!"

Another said: "Do they seriously think they can get away with this? Women should take a stand on this and boycott that bus company."

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Greece’s plight at odds with public's lack of concern as default deferred – for now

“Nothing will change this week,” said Aris Karnachoritis confidently as the waitress handed out bottles of beer and frosted glasses to him and his friends.

Constantinos Neocleous, sitting beside him at a table on the beach at Vouliagmeni near Athens, nodded in agreement. “It’s not in anyone’s interests to have a crisis now,” he said.

Beyond the beach lay shallow waters of radiant turquoise. Children paddled. Teenagers romped. And from nearby, where a group of young men were playing beach tennis, came the comforting “plock-plock” sound of bat on ball.

The talks between Alexis Tsipras’s government and its creditors have dragged on for so long that it has become hard to believe there will ever be a decisive make-or-break juncture. And never has that been harder to believe than now, with the arrival of summer and the entrancing distractions it brings to a country like Greece.

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Nato kicks out Russian spies but revives Kremlin hotline amid Ukraine tensions

The western military alliance is reviving cold war-style hotlines to the Kremlin and the Russian general staff in Moscow to reduce the chances of escalating military confrontation and miscalculation as the Ukraine conflict fuels east-west tension.

While seeking to boost military contacts with the Russians, Nato has also moved to rid its Brussels headquarters of what are believed to be dozens of Russian spies.

In an interview with the Guardian, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said that as a result of increased Russian air activity the alliance was intercepting more Russian planes over the Black, Baltic and Norwegian seas and that the revival of direct contacts was needed to reduce risk and avoid misunderstandings.

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EU draws up plans for military attacks on Libya targets to stop migrant boats

The European Union has drawn up plans for military attacks in Libya to try to curb the influx of migrants across the Mediterranean by targeting the trafficking networks. It is to launch a bid on Monday to secure a UN mandate for armed action in Libya’s territorial waters.

Britain is drafting the UN security council resolution that would authorise the mission, said senior officials in Brussels. It would come under Italian command, have the participation of around 10 EU countries, including Britain, France, Spain, and Italy, and could also drag in Nato although there are no plans for initial alliance involvement.

On Monday, Federica Mogherini, the EU’s chief foreign and security policy coordinator, is to brief the UN security council in New York on the plans for a “chapter seven” resolution authorising the use of force. The British draft is believed to call for the “use of all means to destroy the business model of the traffickers”.

This would entail having EU vessels in Libyan territorial waters, including the Royal Navy flagship HMS Bulwark – currently in Malta – and deploying helicopter gunships to “neutralise” identified traffickers’ ships used to send tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East on the short but highly risky voyage from the Libyan coast to the shores of southern Italy.

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Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions

Windows 10 is going to be the last major revision of the operating system.

Jerry Nixon, a Microsoft development executive, said in a conference speech this week that Windows 10 would be the "last version" of the dominant desktop software.

His comments were echoed by Microsoft which said it would update Windows in future in an "ongoing manner".

Instead of new stand-alone versions, Windows 10 would be improved in regular instalments, the firm said.

Mr Nixon made his comments during Microsoft's Ignite conference held in Chicago this week.
In a statement, Microsoft said Mr Nixon's comments reflected a change in the way that it made its software.

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Dazzled by Australia's precious opals

It's exactly 100 years since the teenage Willie Hutchinson stumbled across a few pieces of opal while walking in the Australian Outback.

There with his father to prospect for gold, the youngster's chance find led to a gemstone mining boom and the establishment of the town of Coober Pedy.

Today, the settlement even refers to itself as the "opal capital of the world", with the wider Australian deposits producing more than 80% of the world's precious opals.

Coober Pedy's gemstones are known for their clear or whitish colour, but some will dazzle like a rainbow. Experts talk of "church windows" to describe examples that mimic stained glass.

Already legally defined as Australia's "National Gemstone", the precious opals could be in line for a new status - that of Global Heritage Stone Resource (GHSR).

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Ten giant animals that are long since dead

Today Earth is home to the heaviest animal that has ever lived: the blue whale. As far as we know, no past animal has ever weighed more. But some have been longer.

While the large dinosaurs tend to grab more than their fair share of attention, there have been many other giant animals that we will never get to see in the flesh. Some are the super-sized ancestors of creatures alive today, while others appear especially bizarre to us because they left no descendants.

The remains of yesterday's giants can help us understand how conditions on Earth have changed across the ages, because creatures often changed size in response to changes in the environment. Besides, there is something inherently fascinating about big animals that we can only see in our imaginations. Here are 10 particularly awesome extinct giants.

Aegirocassis benmoulae

What would the offspring of a whale and a lobster look like? If such a thing were possible it might look something like Aegirocassis benmoulae.

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Real Madrid: Spanish club tops 'world's most valuable team list'

(CNN) - If Real Madrid and Barcelona progress to the European Champions League final, it will mean not only another all-Spanish showdown -- but also a clash between the world's two most valuable football teams.

Real tops Forbes' latest ranking with a value of $3.26 billion, while Barca is not far behind on $3.16 billion.


The Madrid club, which faces a 2-1 semifinal deficit against Juventus as it seeks to win an 11th European title, has topped the financial magazine's standings for the past three seasons.

However, the gap between Spain's top two teams has closed significantly in the past five years and the Catalan side hopes to soon take top spot.

"FC Barcelona's staggering economic development is patently clear," the La Liga's leader's first vice-president Javier Faus, who heads the club's finance department, said in a statement.

"With the club now valued just $100 million short of Real Madrid, it's the smallest gap for the last five years.

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Exit poll UK Conservatives just shy of a majority; Labour wiped out in Scotland

The exit poll in Britain's general election predicted late Thursday that the Conservative Party will win 316 seats, just short of a majority in the House of Commons, meaning that David Cameron will likely remain prime minister.

The surprise poll results were in contrast to polls leading up to the election that suggested Cameron's party would not come close to a majority, and would be locked in a much tighter race with the opposition Labour Party, led by Ed Miliband -- predicted to gain 239 seats in the exit poll.

Cameron's Conservatives would need 326 for an outright majority in the 650-seat House of Commons, although in practice it's about 323: the Speaker does not vote, and Irish nationalists Sinn Fein, who had five seats before the election, do not participate.

If the exit poll is accurate, the Conservative Party would be in a commanding position to form the next government by seeking coalition partners from smaller parties.

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Carlo Ancelotti: 'I want to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of my life'

She is the presumed favorite of Latino voters and, today in Las Vegas, Hillary Clinton doubled down on what is seen as a gateway issue for that voting bloc.

She laid out her plan for comprehensive immigration reform at a campaign event—including a pathway to citizenship, willingness to take executive action, and reforming detention programs.

At a campaign event today, her third since announcing she's running for president, Clinton made immigration reform a defining issue, and on Cinco de Mayo, no less.

State Department Says No Undue Influence After Foreign Gifts to Clinton Foundation
Meet Hillary Clinton: Everything You Need to Know (And Probably Didn't Know) About The Prospective 2016 Presidential Candidate
Latino leaders consulting her campaign have told ABC News that Clinton is looking for a way to clearly contrast herself with Republican presidential candidates by embracing the full path to citizenship rather than proposing a second class of Americans who can work in the United States but not enjoy the protection of citizenship.

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Carlo Ancelotti: 'I want to stay at Real Madrid for the rest of my life'

(CNN) - Since the turn of the century 11 coaches have come and gone at Real Madrid, but the 12th is looking to buck that trend -- so much so he'd like to stay at the club for the rest of his life.

And such is the thickness of Carlo Ancelotti's skin he relishes the scrutiny -- good and bad -- of a job that demands each coach must deliver instant success and global domination.


"I like everything in this atmosphere -- even the criticism," the Italian told CNN Español ahead of Real's Champions League semifinal against Juventus in Turin on Tuesday.

It's not just scrutiny from the boardroom that Ancelotti faces. There's also the intense interest of the media, notably Spanish sport daily Marca.

"You have to compare: criticism is one small negative thing but on the other side, there are a lot of positives," added Ancelotti.

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Mayweather v Pacquiao Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen refuses to pay up on £3,300 bet

Floyd Mayweather’s defeat of Manny Pacquiao has led to all sorts of hysterical reaction, but on Monday a surprise new voice entered into the debate.

Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister of more than 30 years, is refusing to pay up on a £3,300 bet on the outcome of the ‘Fight of the Century’ on the grounds that Mayweather’s points win was unfair.

According to the Cambodia Daily newspaper, the PM, and former Khmer Rouge commander, expressed his anger on Monday about the weekend’s $300m Las Vegas fight, claiming that Pacquiao’s aggression deserved to triumph over Mayweather’s more conservative approach.

Mr Hun Sen was so unimpressed with the American’s performance that he was moved to offer him constructive advice.
The Cambodian noted that: “If I were Floyd, I would consider [it] a draw.”

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Cunard's 175th anniversary Liners gather in Southampton

Cunard's three liners have gathered in Southampton to mark the start of the shipping company's 175th anniversary celebrations.

The Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria started a procession down Southampton Water at about 17:45 BST after an hour's delay.

It was organised to pay homage to the city which is the fleet's home port.

Further celebrations will take place in Liverpool, where the company has its headquarters, in May and July.

Angus Struthers, from Cunard, said it was "the very first time" Queen Mary 2 had led a daylight parade of the "three queens" down Southampton Water and into the Solent.

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Fans disgusted with money-hungry Floyd Mayweather

From the MGM Grand to homes across America, boxing fans rained boos on Floyd Mayweather over the weekend — but the only sound the welterweight champ could hear was the ka-ching of cash registers.

With Saturday night’s fight making him the highest-paid champ in boxing history, Mayweather hardly seemed to notice he was also one of the most reviled.

“The check’s got nine figures on it, baby,” Mayweather bragged Sunday, as he waved the $100 million check he earned for beating Manny Pacquiao in a unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
“No pictures, though,” he warned reporters. “Don’t want any pictures of it.”

His total take could go as high as $180 million once pay-per-view revenue is tallied, experts said.
That would be by far the largest purse ever earned by a fighter.

But the welterweight title holder has also earned the ire of boxing fans, who are less impressed by his 48-0 record than they are repulsed by his constant bragging, his selfishness and his history of assaults on women.

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Two gunmen shot dead by cops after opening fire outside controversial 'Prophet Muhammad' art exhibit in Texas

Two gunmen were shot to death by police in Texas on Sunday after the pair opened fire outside a controversial contest for cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, officials said.

The gunmen shot and wounded a security officer moments after after driving up to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, a Dallas suburb. Garland police officers quickly confronted the duo and killed them both in a brief gunfight.

A bomb squad was then called in to search the suspects’ vehicle. As those searches were being conducted overnight, there were reports of loud booms, but it was not clear if a bomb had been detonated, WFAA reported. The wounded security officer, identified as 58-year-old Bruce Joiner, was shot in the ankle and treated and released from the hospital. He was unarmed.

The gunmen were identified as roommates from Phoenix, Arizona. One, named as Elton Simpson, was "well known" to the FBI, according to ABC News. He was the subject of a previous investigation and convicted of lying to federal agents about the purpose of a planned trip to Africa, according to the outlet. Prosecutors were not able to prove he was trying to join a terror group and he was sentenced to probation, according to ABC.

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Royal princess named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, Kensington Palace has said.

The fourth in line to the throne will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

She was born on Saturday in the Lindo Wing of London's St Mary's Hospital weighing 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg).

The Queen and other senior royals were told of the baby's name before the announcement was made public.

The BBC's royal correspondent Peter Hunt said that a Kensington Palace official, when asked about the couple's choice of name, said: "We'll let the names speak for themselves."

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. Defeats Manny Pacquiao in Boxing’s Big Matchup

LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr., the 38-year-old with the baby face and the unblemished professional boxing record, beat Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night with a unanimous decision in what was considered the highest-grossing bout in history.

In a long-anticipated fight between the two dominant welterweights of the past decade, Mayweather stretched his record to 48-0 while quieting critics who thought he had spent years avoiding a showdown with Pacquiao, a 36-year-old fighter from the Philippines.

All three judges scored the fight in favor of Mayweather. One had the score at 118-110, and the other two had it at 116-112.

The purse, a majority of it from pay-per-view revenue from several million American households paying about $90 each to watch, was estimated to be roughly $300 million. The contract called for Mayweather to receive 60 percent, win or lose.

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The most corrupt countries in the world, ranked in order

Transparency International has released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks 175 countries on their levels of public sector corruption.

A statement released with the report indicated that a low score “is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs”.

It is pointed out that while no countries score 0 (highly corrupt), there are also none scoring a perfect 100 (very clean).

Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders.

Transparency International

Britain scores 78 which takes it up to 14 on the list and overall the country has seen a steady improvement over the past two years (2012: 74, 2013: 76).

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President Bush's 2015 W100K bike ride: Healing the invisible wounds of war

Up ahead the mountain bikes cross the trail in perfect military alignment, their tires lining up as one, until a warrior falls. And then a swarm of hands reaches down to help.

It is the fifth annual W100K Warrior Mountain Bike Ride on President George W. Bush's Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas. The former president and commander in chief still leads by example. He is at the front of the pack, setting the standard for negotiating the turns and climbs.

The theme this year is the invisible wounds of war – post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Out of over 2 million men and women who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, one in five suffers from PTS. And yet, as retired Army sergeant and medic Leslie Zimmerman said to me, sufferers don't feel they deserve to be called wounded, because their wounds aren't apparent.

Out of over 2 million men and women who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, one in five suffers from PTS. And yet, as retired Army sergeant and medic Leslie Zimmerman said to me, sufferers don't feel they deserve to be called wounded, because their wounds aren't apparent.

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Society’s Dropouts 48 Eye-Opening Photos Of America’s 1970s Hippie Communes

Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, a deep-seated social discontent developed among young people in the United States. These were men who’d been forced to fight a war they didn’t believe in only to return home to a country that didn’t want them. The country was filled with college graduates lacking any job prospects, young women who refused to lead their mothers’ lives, and the myth of an “equal” society that couldn’t seem to shake it’s nasty history of segregation and inequality.


The product of this dissatisfaction was hippie culture, and from hippie culture sprang hippie communes–group living spaces, communities, or villages where like minded individuals could live simply like their agrarian ancestors (usually with the help of some mind altering substances). And, most notably, hippies placed communal needs and values above individual rights. As University of Kansas professor Timothy Miller said, “reason had run its course; now it was time to return to the mystical and intuitional…the hippies rejected the industrial for the agrarian, the plastic for the natural, the synthetic for the organic.”

Each hippie commune was different: some were deeply religious communities while others were completely secular. Drug use was rampant on some hippie communes and forbidden on others. Some were strictly self-sufficient agrarian societies, but other hippie communes participated in capitalism–owning businesses and selling rock albums. There was no “one-size fits all” model, and each hippie commune developed its own culture, rules, and personality over time.

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Freddie Gray Curfew enforced after protesters' celebration over charges

Baltimore (CNN) - After a day of jubilation following charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, protesters cleared the streets early Saturday to observe a curfew.

A few protesters scuffled with police after 10 p.m., when the curfew went into effect.

Police arrested 53 people Friday, including 15 as a result of curfew violations.

Authorities used a megaphone from a helicopter to warn protesters to go home or get arrested.

By midnight, the streets were deserted as a hush washed over the city, a far cry from the boisterous honking, weeping and cheers earlier when the city's top prosecutor announced charges.

Six officers to face charges
Six police officers will face charges in the death of Gray, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Friday, describing what she believes happened April 12, when Gray was arrested.

The 25-year-old died after suffering "a severe and critical neck injury" while being transported "handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained" inside a police van, she said. It is against police policy to transport a prisoner without proper restraints such as a seat belt.

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Nepal quake 'No chance' to find more survivors, as death toll rises

Nepal's authorities have ruled out the possibility of finding more survivors of last Saturday's earthquake, as the death toll has risen to 6,621.

"We are trying our best in rescue and relief work but now I don't think that there is any possibility of survivors under the rubble," Home Ministry spokesman Laxmi Prasad Dhakal told AFP.

Nepal said 14,021 people were injured in the 7.9 magnitude quake.

The fate of thousands of people in remote areas remains unknown.

On Friday, the EU envoy to Nepal, Rensje Teerink, said the authorities did not know the whereabouts of some 1,000 EU citizens.

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Record opening stand stuns Pakistan

The prospect of surviving five sessions under a heavy deficit against a potent bowling attack would have forced most sides into a shell. Ten years ago in Dhaka, Bangladesh had batted out 142 overs against Zimbabwe to force a draw and win their first Test series. Nafees Iqbal had knuckled down to score 121 in almost six hours in that match.

Faced with a daunting deficit of 296, Nafees' brother Tamim Iqbal, however, chose an alternative approach. He kept all diffidence aside in a blistering century - his third in three Tests, his seventh overall and his first against Pakistan - that helped Bangladesh slice off almost all of Pakistan's daunting lead in just over two sessions. Along with Imrul Kayes, who was close on Tamim's heels with his third Test century, he added 273 runs in 61 overs during an unbeaten stand that not only beat the record of Bangladesh's best opening set by the same pair in the the team's previous Test, it also was their best stand for any wicket.

If there was any help for the bowlers from the pitch, it remained buried deep under the solidity of the two batsmen. The ball reversed, but often found the middle of the bat; it turned, too, but was regularly carted away over the boundary ropes. Only twice, Pakistan came close to breaking the stand as Tamim was hit on the pads, but in both instances, the decision stayed with the umpire after Pakistan asked for a review.

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